Let’s Talk About Who’ll Be the Vice Presidential Candidates

Now that the primaries are over, the focus has turned to vice presidential picks. Elizabeth Warren had a meeting with Hillary Clinton. Mark Cuban says he’d love to be Hillary’s running mate. Mark Warner says he is not being vetted. Many Republicans say they won’t run with Donald Trump, but a lot of people would like to see Newt Gingrich take the slot. Gingrich knows his way around legislation and legislators, he’s well respected, remembered for “The Contract with America,” and for working well with Bill Clinton.

When Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) paid a visit to Clinton just days after she claimed the nomination, speculation kicked into overdrive.

And phone lines got hot when former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) were overheard in a TV green room telling each other that the other one is the best choice to run with Trump. . .

Clinton’s trouble is dwarfed by Trump’s trouble. He is viewed negatively by 94 percent of blacks, 89 percent of Latinos and 77 percent of women.

Picking a dazzling candidate as his running mate is one move that has the potential to change the way the world sees him.

The last attempt to dazzle and distract with a vice-presidential pick was in 2008. GOP nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) got off to a good start with his surprise pick of little-known Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. She is beautiful, high energy and, that year, she had the potential to attract women disappointed that the Democrats had selected a black man over a woman as their nominee. . .

The Trump campaign went nuts last month when Ben Carson said that Trump’s shortlist included Palin. Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla) and Ted Cruz (Texas), and two governors, Chris Christie of New Jersey and John Kasich of Ohio, were purportedly also on the list. . .

Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, Clinton needs a star to bring young, energetic supporters of her primary rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, back into the fold.

That means Clinton can’t bring on a centrist pick. Moderate Democrats with close ties to corporate America like Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia or Mark Warner of Virginia, or former Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana, would anger the liberal base of the party.

She is left to choose among Warren and other left-of-center Democrats such as Sens. Sherrod Brown (Ohio) and Tim Kaine (Va.).”

The only problem is, the undated story in The Political Insider quoted Alan West, who quoted The Right Scoop, which in turn, quoted The Hill, from November 15, 2015! That was while Ted Cruz was praising The Donald and attacking other candidates, hoping he could end up with a one-on-one, which happened, but didn’t turn out well for “Lyin’ Ted.”

Another way to find out what people are thinking is to find out what they are searching on Google.

On the Republican side, the most commonly searched names joining “Trump” and “vice president” in American queries included Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and former House speaker Newt Gingrich. . .

For the Democrats, the top three were Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (unsuprisingly) and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro.

And, finally, another way to find out what people are thinking is to find out what they are betting real money on. ElectionBettingOdds.com gives the following lineup, with chances they’ll be picked, according to gamblers.

The percentages are odds. For instance, if you bet a dollar on Elizabeth Warren at 20%, that means your $1 will turn into $5 if she’s picked.

About the Author

Goethe Behr is a Contributing Editor and Moderator at Election Central. He started out posting during the 2008 election, became more active during 2012, and very active in 2016. He has been a political junkie since the 1950s and enjoys adding a historical perspective.

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Comments

Straight Shooter

I can’t see Elizabeth Warren being Billary’s vice president. It would be like two Bulls in a China shop!!!